Highland Hearts of the Clan Kincaid Box Set

by Elise Ramsay

  Cullen growled in her ear and swooped her off her feet carrying her into the castle. There he took her to the main hall where the smells of wild boar and pheasant filled the air and made her stomach rumble. Cullen placed her in her chair and sat down next to her. All the while the room filled up his eyes stayed on hers and they grinned like children who had found the fruit pies left unattended.

  “Ack, it has been a difficult few months,” Lachlan said as the room quieted down. “A time of sorrow and a time of bravery. Aye, we are blessed to have such good clan member as the MacIver’s. Blessed to have a true and brave warrior, even if she is a mere slip of a lassie.”

  Laughter erupted around the room and Annis felt her cheeks heat. Was she to be mocked even now? For a moment, anger surged through her and she was about to jump to her feet when Cullen pulled her close. First his lips found hers. Such sweetness melted all hostile thoughts from her mind and as he pulled back, she smiled at him like a fool.

  “Take it as a compliment,” he whispered in her ear. “For that is how it is meant.”

  His lips tickled the skin and sent delicious shivers down her spine. Nodding at him she sat back in her seat and tried to enjoy the feast. Yet her eyes kept being drawn to her brother. He was not the right man to take over her clan but what could she, a mere girl do about it?

  Cullen served her food and wine and encouraged her to talk. “Do na worry my sweet wife,” he whispered. “Soon this ordeal will be over and we can retire to our chambers.”

  Annis felt her cheeks glowing at the thought of his firm chest and what would come after.

  “I will be gentle with ye,” he whispered, “but I see your glance and know you have other things on yer mind. Be merry for a while longer and we can solve all your problems together.”

  Those words made her relax. Somehow with Cullen by her side, she knew she could cope with anything. So she dug into a portion of hot boar and drank a little wine. Before long she was feeling much more relaxed and even found herself enjoying the banter that crisscrossed the table.

  “Get ready,” Cullen whispered into her ear. “Once the piping starts we can sneak away.” Gently he lifted her chin so they were staring eye to eye. “Is that what you wish, my love?”

  “Aye, it is.” Even though she was nervous about their wedding night, she could not wait to be back in his bed. This time as his wife, but more than that she wanted to talk to him, to see if they could solve this problem that knotted her gut and made her food sit there all greasy and unpleasant.

  “Now,” Cullen said as a Piper moved to the centre of the hall and all eyes followed the man.

  Taking her hand, he pulled her away from the table and behind the tapestries. Soon they were out of the hall and running hand in hand down the long empty corridors. Annis found herself laughing as they raced along like children.

  “Don’t laugh at me, Cullen said and he stopped before her.

  There was a fire in his eyes and he scooped her into his arms and then carried on at the same pace.

  Cullen could not believe how beautiful Annis looked. Dressed in the finest gown with her hair piled high and her long slender neck ready for his lips. It was almost more than he could bear and he wanted to get her to his chambers more than he could say. This woman had stolen his heart but more than that she had changed him. No longer did he waste away his days. Now he was thinking of the future, of their future and he knew she had things she needed to say.

  Breathless he burst through his chamber doors and pushed it closed behind him. A lamp had been lit and the furs on his bed were sprinkled with rose petals. Gently he placed Annis amid the furs and just the sight of her raised his blood and made his heart swell. Yet there was a worry in her eyes. So he bit down on his passion and sat beside her. “What is it my wild beastie?”

  Annis’s eyes flashed and he could see the worry fading into the background.

  “It is my brother. He is not fit to lead my clan and I don’t know what to do?”

  “Aye lass I understand,” he said taking her hand. “Brodie is weak and easily fooled. You are married now and mayhap you and your husband could lead your clan. Do you think your clansmen would accept that?”

  Annis looked into the eyes of the man she loved and she knew it would be the perfect solution. It would take some doing, some persuading and some work but together she knew that they could do it. It would be best for her clan and with Cullen by her side it was the right thing to do. “Aye, I think they would.”

  “Then let us talk about how we go about this then,” Cullen said.

  Annis looked at her husband and she knew that tonight was not the time for talk. “I think not husband,” she said standing from the bed. “I think tonight I have other things on my mind.” With that, she pulled on the stays that held her dress so tightly and worked until they were loose. Before her Cullen’s eyes had grown large in his head and he stared at her like a starving man looking at the roast hog.

  It was a good look and it made her feel more like a woman than she had ever felt. At last, her dress was loose and she shook it from her shoulders, standing before him in just her slip.

  Cullen let out an animal growl and leaped from the bed. Taking her in his arms, his lips found hers and all thoughts of clan, chieftains, and succession left his mind replaced by his love and need for this woman.

  Darach

  The Clan Chief’s Daughter

  & the

  Strangers Trust

  Highland Hearts of the Clan Kincaid Book 3

  by

  ©Copyright 2016 Elise Ramsay

  All Rights Reserved

  Chapter One

  Catriona Sinclair lay face down on her bed, tears of anger and frustration staining her face. Reaching up, she touched the place where her brother had struck her. The cheek was less swollen that she would have guessed; the blow had been so painful. No doubt it would leave a bruise. The shame of that would keep her confined for days. Catriona could never let the rest of the Clan see her like that. The thought of hiding away like a mouse in the floorboards made her suddenly angry. Catriona almost wished Kyle back into the room so that she could hit him this time, vent some of the justified rage that was boiling within her.

  Sitting up, she rubbed her tears away roughly with her hands and thought about what had just happened. It had been such an unexpected shock that Catriona could still hardly believe it.

  Only just washed and dressed, Catriona had been open mouthed when her brother had burst into her chamber.

  “What are you…”

  “Did you think I wouldn’t find out, you wee hoor?”

  “What?” Catriona shrieked as the awful word hit her like a slap.

  “Ach, you know just what I’m saying!”

  “No, Kyle, I don’t! And don’t you dare speak to me like that!”

  Kyle walked over to where Catriona stood and squared up to her. Catriona looked up at him in pure disbelief. Whilst she had always known that her older brother had little time for her, she had never imagined that he would behave like this towards her. Despite rumors of how he treated young lassies on occasion, she’d never have believed he would try to intimidate her that way. Catriona had always taken the rumors with a pinch of salt but, as he loomed over her, she wasn’t so sure.

  “I will speak to you as I please. I am your Chief! Are you forgetting that?” Kyle was so close to her that they were almost touching. Catriona would not allow herself to back away from him. Why should she let him see her fear?

  “I am also your sister, Kyle, and what you just said to me is unforgivable. Da would never....” Kyle cut her off with a booming laugh, so loud it made her jump.

  “How would you know what Da would or wouldnae have said to you? He barely spoke to you! You were just a lass to him, a disappointment! He spoke to his sons!”

  Catriona had wanted to argue, to tell Kyle that she had been just as important to her Da as he and Evan had. The words would not come to her. Deep down, Catriona knew what Kyle was
saying, however cruel, was actually true.

  “Kyle, why are you in here calling me such vile things?”

  “Ach, not things! Just one thing. A hoor!”

  “But that’s not true, why would you say that?”

  “Gawain Dunbar!”

  “What about him?”

  “Don’t you dare play dumb with me? I know what you’ve been doing.”

  “Ach, Kyle, for God’s sake! That’s ridiculous!”

  “Not from what I’ve heard, lassie!” Kyle’s thick top lip was pulled back in an angry sneer. He reminded her of an angry dog. Catriona could not believe what she was hearing, Gawain was a friend and nothing more.

  “I’ve known Gawain all my life, Kyle. We’ve grown up together, so please don’t say such an awful thing. We’ve done nothing! We’re just friends as we have been since we were wee ones.”

  “Don’t you lie to me.” Kyle’s tone was low and menacing, and he kept his eyes on hers the whole time.

  “I’m not lying to you, Kyle, but obviously, someone is! Who told you this lie? You said you’d heard it, so who was it?” For the briefest of moments, a look clouded his face. It was a look, she couldn’t quite fathom.

  “I’ll not tell you who it was. Why should I? Enough to say that it’s a person I trust, which is more than I can say for you! So, what have you got to say for yourself?”

  “If, as you say, you dinnae trust me, please tell me what is the point of my saying aught to you?”

  Kyle became silent; his frown showed he needed more time to think. Catriona had always been so cleverer, more canny than he, he knew this in his very bones. He knew it, and hated her for it. He tensed his muscles, clenched his fists, and then Kyle moved closer still to Catriona. With their faces almost touching, Kyle knew that her refusal to move backwards was nothing more than a pathetic show of defiance. Fear was what she was really feeling. Kyle could almost taste it, and it made him smile. What good was her clever little brain to her when he could so easily just beat it right out of her head?

  Kyle gritted his teeth before giving her his permission. “You will speak.”

  “And say what? I’ve already told you that there is nothing but friendship between Gawain and I. What else is there to say? Nothing I say will satisfy you, since you will trust only the word of your nameless informant.”

  Once again, that look came over his face. Suddenly, Catriona knew he was lying. There was none who had told him she was having an affair with Gawain. Kyle was making this up! He was leaning into her, trying to intimidate her further. Catriona had seen his nasty wee smirk and knew that her brother was enjoying frightening her. Was that all this was? Just a silly, made up story to use as an excuse to yell at her and tower over her? Since he had become Chieftain of the Sinclair Clan, Catriona had seen a huge increase in his arrogance. Still, this behavior, this twisted, ugly behavior, had she ever seen this before? As frightening as Kyle’s behavior was, anger was beginning to well up within her. Knowing that she should not antagonize him further, still Catriona could not stop her angry words.

  “Kyle, there is no informant, is there?”

  “What?”

  His shout made her jump, as did the suddenly furious look on his face. Aye, Kyle was lying alright! He looked just as he had done so many times as a wee laddie. Whenever he was caught out in a lie, Kyle descended into a rage, shouting his protestations as if the sheer volume would make them true.

  “Why would you tell such a lie?”

  “I am not lying!” Kyle’s face was livid in both color and aspect. Catriona had all the proof she needed. Although relieved that Kyle knew she was not a hoor, Catriona wondered where this was leading. What was his plan in coming to her?

  “Kyle, I don’t understand what’s happening.”

  “I’ll tell you what’s happening, you wee hoor! I am banishing your man! Gawain Dunbar is no longer a clansman of the Sinclair! You’ll never see him again!”

  Kyle’s big, ugly lips were working angrily, and Catriona could feel the spit flying from them the angrier he became. It was the only thing up until that point which had made her step backwards. Misinterpreting the move, Kyle smiled to himself. Catriona could truly see him for what he was, and hated him at that moment.

  “How can you do that? Gawain Dunbar is a loyal clansman, and he has done nothing wrong. You know he has done nothing!” Alluding to Kyle’s lie once more, Catriona could feel she was making a mistake.

  “I cannot have you throwing yourself at any man you chose! I must teach you a lesson.”

  “A lesson for what? You know I’ve done nothing wrong, except in this ugly tale of your own making!”

  “Because, dear sister, when you do come to marry, it will be to a man of my choosing, not yours.”

  Kyle went on as if she hadn’t spoken. Unable to answer her questions, he simply ignored them. It didn’t matter that Catriona was right. She could be as right as she damn well pleased. Kyle was the one with the power and, in the end, power was all that mattered.

  “What?”

  “Ach, aye! I will choose your husband for you.”

  “Why should you even be interested in my matrimony?” Catriona could feel a creeping sensation at the back of her neck as all the little hairs stood on end.

  “Because, Catriona, you are nothing but currency. You are little more than a cow to be bartered away.”

  “To whom?” Fear gripped her, as if Kyle already had someone in mind for her. Was that what was this entire scene had been leading up to?

  “To whoever comes along who will be of most use to me. To the Sinclair Clan. That’s the only point to daughters. You look so shocked? What a shame someone didnae tell you before.”

  “You foul pig!”

  “That’s right, get it off your chest.” He laughed at her, cruel and mocking.

  “Aye, Kyle, I will do.” Catriona knew she was heading into dangerous territory, but her anger would not let her stop.

  “You come into my chamber, the puffed up wee laddie, the Chief....” She threw her head back, enjoying her moment, however brief it would be. “You come in with a made up wee tale of Gawain and me, strutting like a cockerel because you have the power to banish a man! Then you talk of marrying me off to whomever you chose. What I don’t see is how you intend to find me a suitable match if I’m so ruined as you say!”

  “I am not lying!” Kyle’s childish protestations coming from a full grown man made him look freakish to her.

  “Ach, but brother, of course you are. You could not dare to marry off a sister you knew to be ruined and expect your new found brother in law not to notice. And what then? Tell me, Kyle, exactly how would bartering me off like a cow benefit you then?”

  Catriona had tied Kyle up in knots as easily as if he were a wee laddie. He felt oddly tongue-tied, and the heat in his face was as much due to shame as it was to anger. There was nowhere left for him to go. Yes, he would banish Dunbar, but what would that really get him? Knowing there had been nothing between them, as Catriona had rightly deduced, Kyle knew he would not be hurting her enough. In that moment of complete indecision, Kyle saw the briefest smile play across her lips. She thought she had beaten him.

  The anger almost ripped him in half. Kyle could feel the blood rushing and pounding in his head as he stepped forward and struck Catriona so hard across the face that she fell to the floor. As she cried out and held her swelling cheek, Kyle mused that he had not struck out at her since they were children. He knew he should be feeling shame, but it wouldn’t come. Instead, the feeling which overwhelmed him was one of pure pleasure. Smiling broadly at the very sensation, Kyle cast Catriona a mocking look and strode out of the chamber.

  How on earth am I to survive this?

  Chapter Two

  Darach Abernethy had drained his goblet of wine. Feeling full and warm, a deep feeling of contentment rolled over him. His stay here at Kincaid could have gone very differently, for long lost kin, were not always made so welcome.

  “Ac
h, come on, let’s get that goblet filled, Darach!”

  Darach’s uncle, Lachlan Kincaid, leaned across the table and poured a generous serving of wine for the young man. If he carried on like this, Darach would be drunk indeed. Having been at the home of his maternal ancestors for only three weeks, Darach felt that drunkenness would not yet be appropriate. Lifting his goblet and nodding a silent toast towards his uncle, Darach took a deceptively small sip. He would slow it down.

  “More food, my lad?” Lachlan nodded towards all that was left.

  Darach had eaten much. The lamb and root vegetables had tasted wonderful, and he had helped himself to two large platefuls. The bannocks, which were the very best he’d ever tasted, now sat heavy in his stomach. If he carried on like this, he would turn to fat! Darach took a certain pride in his physique, and always had done. He was a tall man with a toned and taught torso.

  The torso he maintained by constant practice and sport. A renowned fighter within the Lowland Clan of Abernethy, he knew there were none there to rival him. Darach had the fair hair of his father. His skin, which was also normally fair, had been browned by the sun and the wind in equal measure in his short stay in the Highlands. The weather in the Lowlands, from whence he hailed, was far steadier than here.

  “So, Darach, how are you finding your stay with us so far?” Lachlan smiled at him, the skin around his eyes wrinkling pleasantly. How much his uncle’s eyes and easy smile reminded him of his own, dear mother.

  Darach remembered that, upon first hearing the news of the death of his sister, Lachlan had such an aspect of sadness. Darach had been relieved to see it, having concerned himself on the long journey up country that perhaps Lachlan Kincaid would care little for the loss. Having not seen his sister since she newly married to his father and left to start her married life in Kinross, Darach had wondered if Lachlan would be touched at all by the news. In the end, Darach had clearly seen how grieved Lachlan was to hear it. He looked like a man who had seen his sister in recent days, rather than one who had not set eyes upon her in more than twenty-five years.